CVE-2022-29078: Ejs Ejs Template Injection Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-phwq-j96m-2c2q
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-29078 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) ejs template injection vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Ejs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves ejs template injection vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.7.

CVE-2022-29078 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-29078
GHSA Identifier GHSA-phwq-j96m-2c2q
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Ejs
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-29078

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ejs dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

ejs fixed: 3.1.7 
npm install ejs@3.1.7
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls ejs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-29078, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ejs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ejs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.7), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ejs command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Ejs, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The ejs (aka Embedded JavaScript templates) package 3.1.6 for Node.js allows server-side template injection in settings[view options][outputFunctionName]. This is parsed as an internal option, and overwrites the outputFunctionName option with an arbitrary OS command (which is executed upon template compilation).

CVE-2022-29078 Affected Ejs Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ejs
npm/ejs
npm
< 3.1.7
3.1.7

References

NVD — CVE-2022-29078 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-29078
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mde/ejs/commit/15ee698583c98dadc456639d6245580d17a24baf
eslam.io/posts/ejs-server-si... WEB
https://eslam.io/posts/ejs-server-side-template-injection-rce
Ejs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mde/ejs
Ejs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mde/ejs/releases
Ejs Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220804-0001

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-29078?
CVE-2022-29078 is a security vulnerability in Ejs involving ejs template injection vulnerability under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Ejs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.7 across affected packages: ejs.
What version fixes CVE-2022-29078?
Upgrading to 3.1.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ejs affected?
Yes, ejs is affected in releases prior to 3.1.7. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-29078?
CVE-2022-29078 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-29078?
CVE-2022-29078 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-29078?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ejs'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-phwq-j96m-2c2q",
  "modified" : "2022-08-11T14:48:47Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-26T00:00:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-29078" ],
  "summary" : "ejs template injection vulnerability",
  "details" : "The ejs (aka Embedded JavaScript templates) package 3.1.6 for Node.js allows server-side template injection in settings[view options][outputFunctionName]. This is parsed as an internal option, and overwrites the outputFunctionName option with an arbitrary OS command (which is executed upon template compilation).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ejs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-29078"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mde/ejs/commit/15ee698583c98dadc456639d6245580d17a24baf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://eslam.io/posts/ejs-server-side-template-injection-rce"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mde/ejs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mde/ejs/releases"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220804-0001"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-04-27T14:36:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-25T15:15:00Z"
  }
}